Congressional investigators are escalating their probe of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles by examining whether sudden acceleration affects models that have not been recalled -- and whether all Toyota vehicles should be modified so that their brakes override out-of-control throttles. The increased scrutiny comes as regulators in Japan and the U.S. have launched inquiries into reports that brakes on the company's Prius hybrid are slow to respond. A Prius controversy would be particularly thorny for Toyota, which has used the hybrid to hone its image as a maker of environmentally friendly and technologically advanced autos.

Under withering questioning from a congressional committee Tuesday, a top Toyota executive said that the automaker still hasn't ruled out electronics as a potential cause of sudden acceleration, acknowledging that fixing floor mats and sticking pedals would "not totally" solve the problem. Speaking before the House Commerce and Energy Committee for over two hours, James E. Lentz, Toyota's top U.S. sales executive, apologized for what he said was poor communication inside the company and with its customers that led to the recall of nearly 10 million vehicles.

Rebuffing criticism of slow action and underfunded efforts, the head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said his agency acted properly in investigating complaints about sudden-acceleration problems in Toyota vehicles and has enough money and staff to oversee the auto industry. At a House subcommittee hearing Thursday, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland also denied that agency employees were beholden to the automakers they regulate. "This agency opened eight separate investigations over the time period when there were complaints about sudden acceleration.

In the nearly five months since it launched a string of recalls to stop its cars from accelerating out of control, Toyota Motor Corp. has been adamant about one thing: It's not the electronics. Company officials first put the blame on floor mats that could entrap the accelerator, later amending that to include gas pedals themselves that could stick. But they have vigorously asserted that there is no evidence of a glitch in the electronics or software that could cause cars to malfunction, a "ghost in the machine."

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday that the government now is looking into complaints about problems with brakes on Toyota's popular Prius hybrid sedan, after reports that Japan's government has asked the company to investigate the issue. LaHood also advised drivers of Toyota vehicles recalled because of sudden acceleration problems to get their vehicles fixed quickly, which will be a major task for the automaker given the number of vehicles involved. Toyota Motor Corp.

Congressional investigators opening hearings this week on Toyota's sudden-acceleration troubles say they will focus on discrepancies in the automaker's explanation of the problem, the role of regulators who oversee the industry -- and ultimately whether federal safety standards are grossly outdated, given the advanced electronics technology at the heart of modern car-making. Two House committee hearings, on Wednesday and on Feb. 25, will take place amid the high political pressures that shape Washington investigations.

Toyota Motor Corp. plans a more aggressive rollout of a system that cuts power to the engine when the brake and gas pedals in a vehicle are pressed at the same time. The system is meant to be an extra safeguard against the type of sudden-acceleration problems that have prompted the company to recall millions of vehicles worldwide. The brake override system will be built into most new Toyota models sold in the United States by the end of 2010, the company said. The announcement came as James Lentz, president of Toyota's U.S. operations, apologized to consumers for the automaker's safety and reliability problems at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's investigative subcommittee Tuesday.

Federal safety regulators have sharply rebuked Toyota Motor Corp. for issuing "inaccurate and misleading" statements asserting that no defect exists in the 3.8 million vehicles it recalled after a Lexus sedan accelerated out of control in San Diego County, killing four people. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a statement Wednesday that the recalled Toyota and Lexus vehicles do have an "underlying defect" that involves the design of the accelerator pedal and the driver's foot well.

July 28, 2010 | By Ken Bensinger and Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times

Toyota Motor Corp. has argued for years that the electronic black boxes in its vehicles used unproven technology that could not be relied upon to determine the cause of accidents. Now, facing continued claims that its vehicles are defective, Toyota appears to have done an about-face. The Japanese automaker has been citing data from black boxes in Toyota and Lexus vehicles to suggest that driver error, rather than mechanical or electronic defects, is causing sudden acceleration.

In a legal career spanning nearly four decades, attorney Mark P. Robinson Jr. has won multimillion-dollar verdicts against carmakers Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Hyundai. Now, the Newport Beach lawyer has been tapped to play a big role in the massive legal battle involving Toyota Motor Corp., which faces potentially billions of dollars of liability from lawsuits involving the alleged sudden unintended acceleration of its vehicles. Robinson, co-lead plaintiffs' attorney in the wrongful death and personal injury cases pending against Toyota in federal court, is known for going to unusual lengths to build evidence that can swing a case.